This week I headed down to explore the Padre Island National Seashore. It was a little cool and windy the day I went, but it was still really neat and different from most places I’ve been before.

I started out walking along Malaquite Beach, and I enjoyed listening to the waves coming in. Since Padre Island is a barrier island, the beach did have a lot of trash and debris that had been washed up. Even with the washed up debris though, the beach was still pretty to look at. The island also has grasslands and dunes which was really cool to see right next to the beach.

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Up by the dunes, I even saw a few crabs walking around. If it had been a different time of year, sea turtles are also visitors to Padre Island. There is a big emphasis on conservation of sea turtles at the park, and it was really neat getting to learn more about the efforts that the park service is going to to help save them.

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After malaquite beach, I explored a little bit on the north side of the island. It was so different from the south that it almost didn’t even seem like I was in the same area. There aren’t the big waves crashing against the shore on the north side like there are on the south. The water is stiller, and it is much grassier all the way up to the water. Driving to the north side, there are also several smaller pools of water. The island as a whole is so diverse in environments that there were lots of different birds, plants, crabs, and other animals that all call it home.

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My visit to Padre Island was pretty short, but the views and getting to relax a little bit by the ocean was definitely worth the trip. I’m also starting to get the hang of planning adventures out with my new work schedule, so hopefully I will be seeing and doing more in the next several weeks.